Authors often use vivid language to represent actions, ideas and objects as imagery to highlight certain messages they are trying to convey. Readers of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may well debate the effectiveness of or purpose for which the author uses death imagery. Shakespeare’s primary function of death imagery is to emphasize the theme of untimely and tragic deaths, specifically for the main characters. First, when Romeo is explaining his love to Friar Laurence, death imagery is used to explain his young age, which makes his death untimely. Furthermore, death imagery conveys the message of violent deaths when Romeo believes false information regarding Juliet’s death. Most importantly, the death of Juliet is described with the use of …show more content…
When Juliet’s father moves her wedding to Paris from two years away to one day away, and Romeo is banished for killing a nobleman, Juliet starts to feel the pressure of their rushed marriage. In order to avoid her marriage to Paris, she and Friar Laurence come up with the plan to fake her death by using a potion that will make her appear to be dead and when it wears off, she and Romeo will be able to run away together. Unfortunately, Romeo is misinformed of the plan and decides to commit suicide when he discovers her ‘dead’ body. Soon after, Juliet awakens to find Romeo’s dead body beside her and says, “What’s here?/ Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.–/ O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop/ To help me after? (Shakespeare 5.3. …show more content…
Initially, death imagery is used to portray Romeo’s inexperience, thus making his death untimely. In addition, to convey the message of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic and violent deaths, Shakespeare expertly applies death imagery. Above all, death imagery is used at its best to communicate the untimeliness of Juliet’s death. Many authors take great consideration when it comes to representing actions, ideas or objects with figurative language to make sure their imagery adds perspective to the story. To many readers, it may be hard to understand that developed imagery throughout a selection can essentially provide one with more knowledge regarding the
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's first authentic tragedy. It is about two lovers who commit suicide when their feuding families prevent them from being together. The play has many characters, each with its own role in keeping the plot line. Some characters have very little to do with the plot; but some have the plot revolving around them. While the character of Friar Lawrence spends only a little time on stage, he is crucial to the development of the conclusion of the play. It is Friar Laurence’s good intentions, his willingness to take risks and his shortsightedness that lead to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo furthermore experiences loss in Act 5 Scene 3- the feeling of sorrow towards his newlywed wife Juliet. In this scene, Romeo delivers a monologue to what he believes is Juliet’s corpse. The audience can note that Romeo’s melodramatic nature once again surfaces with this speech, using light and dark imagery (which is a reoccurring theme throughout the play) to poetically pronounce the final soliloquy to his beloved. Somewhat irrationally, Romeo suggests that “unsubstantial death” is “amorous” because Juliet looked so “fair”- believing that a physical form of death has stolen Juliet from him to pursue her as their own lover because she looked so attractive. This absurd notion presents to the audience how Romeo’s reaction to this bereavement
In Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the lovers meet their doom, by scene iii of Act V. With their fatal flaw of impulsivity, Romeo and Juliet are ultimately to blame for their death. Contrarily, if it was not for the unintentional influence of the pugnacious Tybalt, the star-crossed lovers may have remained together, perpetually. To the audience, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet are already understood, for it is a Shakespearean tragedy. However, the causes, predominantly Romeo’s and Juliet’s fatal flaw of impulsivity and rashness, are as simple as Shakespearean writing. Though Romeo and Juliet are wholly to blame for their tragic suicides, in Act V scene iii, Tybalt is, in turn, responsible, as his combative spirit forced Romeo to murder him and Juliet to marry Paris.
Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, depicts an ancient feud ended by a pair of star-crossed lovers’ deaths. A lord and lady from warring families seek a forbidden love with guidance from a friar and nurse. Due to a tragic course of mischances and fateful errors, their attempt of eloping led the lovers to a tragic end. Because of rash decisions, the four characters are torn apart by miscalculating events and misunderstandings. Ultimately, the four characters encounter a heartbreaking ending, as a result of their hastiness.
Being one of the most debated texts in history, Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, has the power and ability to divide audiences. Throughout the play, it is seen that Shakespeare has left the audience to contemplate the underlying cause of the Romeo and Juliet tragedy. Shakespeare begins by showing the reckless actions and choices of the lovers, illustrating one of the main contributing factors to their deaths. Friar Lawrence plays a large role in the deaths of the lovers as he is the main instigator, greatly contributing to the deaths. Also, demonstrated through the play is that the lover’s destiny is written in the stars. Without
In the play of Romeo and Juliet, the reader is introduced to two young star-crossed lovers who hope to fall in love and have the happily ever after. However, through the twists and turns of the play, the reader finds the story has a twisted ending. For the project, my group chose Juliet as our portrayed character. In our portrayal of Juliet, the character is well summarized as well as the characters role in the play. Beginning at her head, we summarize Juliet’s family life in a discrete but well thought out way. Upon Juliet’s head sits a golden headband to represent being of a higher family. While Juliet is no princess, she is the only child of Lord and Lady Capulet. “Hang thee, young baggage! Disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday, Or never after look me in the face. Speak not. Reply not. Do not answer me. My fingers itch.—Wife, we scarce thought us blest That God had lent us but this only child, But now I see this one is one too much And that we have a curse in having her. Out on her, hilding!”(3.5.160-168). Because she is the only daughter of the Lord and Lady, one can suspect a life filled with pressure for young Juliet.
Being that death is a universally explored topic, William Shakespeare, a master of English literature, opted to thoroughly investigate this complex notion in his play Hamlet. Shakespeare cleverly and sometimes subtly brings the reader/viewer through a physical and spiritual journey of death via the several controversial characters of Hamlet. The chief element of this expedition is undoubtedly the funerals. Every funeral depicts, and marks, the conclusion of different perceptions of death. Shakespeare uses the funerals of the several controversial characters to gradually transform the simple, spiritual, naïve, and somewhat light view of death into a much more factual, physical, serious, and down to earth outlook.
Throughout history never has there been a piece of literature as well known for its tragic end as that of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although many factors contribute to the grief and misfortune that this play represents, human actions play the principle role in the final outcome. At first glance, one may look over the character of Friar Laurence dismissing him as only a minor player in the plot. However, upon closer examination, it becomes obvious that the Friar plays an essential role in the development of the play and, although has good intentions, is responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
Moreover after knowing Juliet for less than twenty-four hours, Romeo goes to his companion Friar Lawrence and asks him to marry them. True, Juliet is the one who sets up the marriage. However, Romeo is the one who pushed the relationship too far and too soon. In Act 2.3, Friar Lawrence is in shock with the sudden change from Rosaline to Juliet and comments on the ind...
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2002. Print.
The death of the two lovers in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet seems preventable. Misinformed characters spur a series of unfortunate and ill-timed events that lead to Romeo and Juliet taking their own lives. The audience is constantly aware of Romeo and Juliet’s looming death and always hold knowledge that the characters do not. Shakespeare incorporates this dramatic irony in numerous places in the play which keeps the audience on edge and gives the same sense of fate that the characters experience
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt et al. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1997. Print.
Reckless actions lead to untimely deaths. In Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, both protagonists fight for their hopeless love. Bloodshed and chaos appear inevitable in fair Verona; Romeo and Juliet come from enemy households, the Montegues and the Capulets, who have sworn to defeat one another. The young and handsome Romeo weeps over his unrequited love for Rosaline, until he lays his eyes on Juliet. Strong and independent, Juliet seeks to escape her family’s will to marry her off to Paris, a kinsman of the Prince. Fate ties these adolescents’ lives together binding them to witness the ill-fortunes of Romeo and Juliet’s love. Romeo and Juliet prove themselves woefully impulsive through their words and actions, which ultimately lead them along a series of unfortunate mishaps.
Besides poison representing death, Shakespeare also uses images of death which symbolize sorrow. One example of such imagery involves the time when Romeo leaves the Capulet party and leaves Juliet behind. He uses images of a lifeless body and death to show the sorrow he feels when he is not with his beloved Juliet.
Countless people all around the world are familiar with the idea of the famously tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Their heart wrenching love story has been an inspiration for many literature pieces throughout various genres and later cinematic works of art. The young couple was not only memorable for their passionate, devoted love, but also the tragic events that ultimately lead to their death. One aspect of the play that has a strong impact on the audience is Shakespeare’s use of charismatic and compelling language seen throughout the play. The unique personality traits used to describe Romeo and Juliet allows many to relate to the young lovers. Shakespeare’s use of descriptive language, allows the audience to understand the societal expectations, beliefs, and values set out for the men and women of Verona, Italy. Romeo’s character, however, can be been seen defying these expectations and also